Wild Oats Wants Customers to Stop & Shop
By George Anderson
Wild Oats Markets has opened the first of its store-within-the-store boutiques inside a newly remodeled Stop & Shop in Plymouth, Mass.
The 1,110 square-foot section will be staffed by Wild Oats’ associates.
“This store-within-a-store concept will provide an avenue for us to bring products and information that support health and well-being to people in Massachusetts and Connecticut,” said Bruce Bowman, senior vice president of new business development for Wild Oats Markets in a released statement. “With more people seeking out natural health solutions, we believe our concept will complement the existing traditional healthcare and pharmaceutical products offered at the grocery store. We are thrilled to partner with Stop & Shop to bring the Wild Oats holistic health experience to more customers.”
Moderator’s Comment: What do you think about the strategy of putting a Wild Oats store-within-a-store inside Stop & Shop? What will it mean for the
two retailers and customers who shop the Plymouth, Mass. store? –
George Anderson – Moderator
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6 Comments on "Wild Oats Wants Customers to Stop & Shop"
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I wonder about Stop & Shop. They seem to have adopted a model of using other brands in their respective categories… Dunkin’ Donuts, Office Depot, Toys R Us, and now Wild Oats. You’ve got to wonder… What about the Stop & Shop brand?… It gets diluted. Stop & Shop seems to be outsourcing its brand development function.
So long as Wild Oats doesn’t try to crop up with these too close by, in competing retailers, and so long as they don’t use the concept to soften up a market and then add their own stores later, I think this is a good differentiator for Stop & Shop. It obviously helps get the Wild Oats name out there, although I don’t know to what end, long-term, if they don’t add their own stores nearby later. I think enough people have been exposed to the Wild Oats name to realize it has high standards on the food it stocks, and this may help keep shoppers from making more trips to the rapidly expanding Whole Foods.
There is no question that Stop & Shop would rather be doing their own impression of a Wild Oats / Whole Foods Markets. This direction Stop & Shop is heading will not go over well with their own directors down to the store staff.
Art’s got an interesting point but it strikes me that it can be seen from precisely the opposite perspective. Read the words (or my lips, or what it says on the can) – Stop & Shop. If there are more reasons to do this, because there are more opportunities and recognised names on the premises, then mission accomplished.
Does anyone know what the licensing and/or rent agreement will be for a relationship like this? I would imagine Wild Oats will pay Stop and Shop some % of sales — anyone know what percent is standard? Any other examples?
It seems that S&S would fall a far second to Shaw’s and Star Markets original and well-known “Wild Harvest”. This may hurt Wild Oats’ reputation of higher quality, organic and natural foods pairing with what has become a company in search of its identity. If entering the New England marketplace strong, Wild Oats may just be seen as an own brand of S&S rather than an original concept.